Jean M. Dougherty

Jean M. Dougherty, 91, of Homewood, Illinois, passed away peacefully at home on September 24, 2026, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. The greatest blessing in her life was her children and grandchildren whom she loved and cherished. Most importantly, Jean wanted nothing more than for her family to be happy.

Jean will always be remembered as friendly and loving with a spirited sense of humor. Her quirkiness came in the form of her favorite foods – lobster, liver, seedless black raspberry jam (and it had to be seedless), and her absolute love for black olives (medium size in the red can)! Jean’s go-to meal to complement black olives was a Hawaiian roll with peanut butter, Ruffles potato chips, and Pepsi (not Coke)! A Salerno butter cookie or Dove dark chocolates were her sweet tooth cravings or sometimes she would enjoy black licorice for a bit of zest.

Jean was a voracious reader who kept an on-going catalog of every book she read (and noted the ones she especially liked and read more than once). Her trips to the Park Forest Public Library were weekly adventures, and everyone who worked there knew her by name, her favorite genres, and they supported her love for reading with recommendations based on her interests. The staff always made sure Jean was notified the minute any book she had on hold was available and reserved it in her name.

“Jeannie,” as she was known by family and closest friends, was born on November 19, 1934, in Chicago, Illinois, and the only child of the late Earl Wesley and Mabel Loving Muir. She was preceded in death by her grandson, Ryan Dougherty. She graduated from South Shore High School and eventually moved to Homewood in 1962 where she would raise her

family. Jean had various jobs throughout her life including working at different banks both in Chicago and the south suburbs. She also embraced her love for shoes as a salesperson at Janden Shoe Tree in Homewood for several years. Once retired, Jean enjoyed caring for two of her grandchildren. She lived in Park Forest for over 20 years where she was actively involved in different churches and a member of the Red Hat Society until her recent return to Homewood.

Jean is survived by her children: Dan Dougherty, Dave (Tarin) Dougherty, Kristi (Jeff) Riggleman, and Kathie (Albert) Morgan; and her grandchildren: Rorie, Reilly, Austin, Jamie, Cassandra and family, Bethany and family, Eddie (Sarah), and Brianne and family.

Services will be private for the family with interment of ashes at Wesley Chapel Cemetery, Cross Junction, Virginia, at a later date. A Celebration of Life for family and friends will be held on Friday, April 2, 2027 at The Clubhouse at Dolphin Lake in Homewood from 4-7pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jean’s memory made be made to The Dolly Parton Imagination Library at https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com/ or to Three Oaks Hospice in Tinley Park, Illinois at https://www.threeoakshospice.com/foundation/.